all expressions of joy received me in his arms, and gave me a hundred
pieces of gold, saying, "I know thou that keeps my heart so well, will
keep my fortune, which from this time I will ever put into thy hands
as God shall bless me with increase." And now I thought myself a
perfect queen, and my husband so glorious a crown, that I more valued
myself to be called by his name than born a princess, for I knew him
very wise and very good, and his soul doted on me; upon which
confidence I will tell you what happened. My Lady Rivers, a brave
woman, and one that had suffered many thousand pounds loss for the
King, and whom I had a great reverence for, and she a kindness for me
as a kinswoman, in discourse she tacitly commended the knowledge of
state affairs, and that some women were very happy in a good
understanding thereof, as my Lady Aubigny, Lady Isabel Thynne, and
divers others, and yet none was at first more capable than I; that in
the night she knew there came a post from Paris from the Queen, and
that she would be extremely glad to hear what the Queen commanded the
King in order to his affairs; saying, if I would ask my husband
privately, he would tell me what he found in the packet, and I might
tell her. I that was young and innocent, and to that day had never in
my mouth what news, began to think there was more in inquiring into
public affairs than I thought of, and that it being a fashionable
thing would make me more beloved of my husband, if that had been
possible, than I was. When my husband returned home from Council,
after welcoming him, as his custom ever was he went with his handful
of papers into his study for an hour or more; I followed him; he
turned hastily, and said, "What wouldst thou have, my life?" I told
him, I had heard the Prince had received a packet from the Queen, and
I guessed it was that in his hand, and I desired to know what was in
it; he smilingly replied, "My love, I will immediately come to thee,
pray thee go, for I am very busy." When he came out of his closet I